Pac-12 notebook: ASU QB Taylor Kelly is "the guy"

Here are some news and notes from around the Pac-12:

Arizona State coach Todd Graham ended the speculation about his quarterback competition by announcing Monday: "If we played today, Taylor (Kelly) would be the guy." Graham said Kelly has been best at managing the ball and avoiding turnovers in fall camp. He is also taking the majority of the snaps with the starters, but Graham insisted that nobody has been eliminated from the race, Tyler Lockman of foxsportsarizona.com reported.
Here’s the full scoop on why USC coach Lane Kiffin gave up his Coaches Poll vote from Jack Carey of USA Today. A coach's vote is normally kept confidential until the final poll of the regular season under an agreement between USA TODAY Sports and the AFCA. But when a voter volunteers false or misleading information about his vote in public, then USA TODAY Sports, in its oversight role as administrator of the poll, will correct the record to protect the poll's integrity. Kiffin told media members he wouldn’t vote USC No. 1, then he did.
Not only is Sean Mannion the incumbent QB for Oregon State, he’s about to embark on his second season as a starter. That’s typically when a quarterback is expected to make a quantum leap in his understanding of how to run the system. The signs are already there, Kevin Hampton of the Corvallis Gazette-Times reported.
Much is expected this season from Utah’s Air Force Gang: receivers DeVonte Christopher, Luke Matthews, Reggie Dunn, Kenneth Scott and Dres Anderson. A strong bond may help them achieve those expectations, Deseret News’ Mike Sorensen said.
Washington State quarterbacks Jeff Tuel and Connor Halliday both performed well in the team’s first scrimmage over the weekend. Maybe that’s why coach Mike Leach isn’t close to making an announcement on which one will start, Christian Caple of the Spokesman-Review (Spokane, Wash.) reported.
Sophomore Brett Nottingham or junior Josh Nunes will face the unenviable task of replacing quarterback Andrew Luck this season at Stanford. Cloudy would be an apt description of the current battle, Mark Emmons of the San Jose Mercury-News reported. And closed practices have only added to the level of secrecy about a competition that, from the outside, seems neck-and-neck.
Colorado coaches use a lot of adjectives to describe defensive tackle Will Pericak. Words such as workmanlike, consistent and coachable. None of them are glitzy, but that's exactly how Pericak plays football and that’s exactly what the Buffaloes will need from one of their defensive leaders, Brian Howell of the Daily Camera reported.
The Arizona " data-canon="Northwestern Wildcats" data-type="SPORTS_OBJECT_TEAM" id="shortcode0"> pulled back the curtain on their reconfigured football team Saturday night. And like a lot of dress rehearsals, especially those three weeks away from opening night, there were problems, Ryan Finley of the Daily Star (Tucson) reported.
UCLA quarterback Brett Hundley is short on experience, but not on confidence, Brian Whitehead of the Orange Country Register said.